Like To Dance
by Lyralocke
Summary: Kataang, oneshot. Aang was surrounded by a mob of girls, and Katara was irritated. So she pushed past the crowd, held out her hand, and uttered one sentence that Aang wasn't quite ready for: Dance with me.


_I enjoy ballroom dancing. I recently saw The Cave of Two Lovers. Aaand this came out._

_It's told from Toph's point of view, just so you know. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar _

* * *

Aang and Katara like to dance. Every time we get stuck at some fancy party, they don't waste any time. It'll only take a few seconds for them to be out on the dance floor, hand-in-hand. Its bugs Sokka; he doesn't like it when anyone gets within two feet of his sister, and Aang is usually much, much closer than two feet. But I don't mind. I like dancing, too. Not doing it myself, but feeling the vibrations from Aang and Katara while they dance. I can only assume it looks really pretty, because it feels so graceful. I'd never tell that to anyone, but it's true.

They're good at it too. That's to be expected, since both of them are really light on their feet. Aang took a while to get good at it though. Katara had to teach him. Not that he was complaining. It still makes me laugh, remembering that first night Katara asked him to dance. He had just turned fifteen, and the world was finally settling down after the war. We were at a big bash for Fire Lord Zuko's nineteenth birthday. It was warm that night, so nobody was really dressed up. I was surprised that Zuko could be so relaxed.

We were in a big outdoor pavilion, and there were tons of people there. Tables were spread out all around the dance floor, but only a few were occupied. One of these was occupied by Sokka and me, another by a very disgruntled Aang and Katara. We were all pretty tired, having only just arrived in the Fire Nation, but whenever Aang settled in one place for a second, people pounced all over him to ask him questions or flirt with him, in the case of the many young women at the party. That, obviously, was why Katara was disgruntled. Aang just wanted to be left alone. So Katara got to her feet, pushed past the mob of girls and offered her hand to Aang.

"Dance with me," she said quietly.

I felt Aang's pulse speed up immediately. Sokka was glaring suspiciously in their direction, but I could only smirk.

"What? I uh... don't dance," Aang stammered hurriedly.

Katara put her hands on her hips. "Come on. Dancing improves balance and coordination. Learning to move with a partner will help you a lot in the long run," she replied.

I felt her heart race when she said the word 'partner.'

"But I uh... don't know how," Aang said quietly, embarrassed.

Katara didn't miss a beat. "I'll teach you," she said, and I could tell by the gentleness of her tone that she was smiling. They both grew warmer; blushing, I guess. "My mother taught me when I was little," Katara continued. "She and dad used to dance all the time. It was mostly just to bug Sokka."

The two of them laughed a little. Aang took her hand and got to his feet. Both of them blushed again. I placed my feet flat on the floor so I could see what they were doing, sensing their movement to the dance floor. I zoned everything else out so I could hear what they were saying, smirking all the while.

Katara placed one of Aang's hands on her waist, causing his heart to race, and held his other hand in her own. She placed her other hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer. Now her heart was racing, too.

"Uh... what now?" Aang muttered nervously.

Katara's voice lightened; she was smiling. "Just hold on to me, and feel the music," she murmured. "Keep me close and I'll teach you the steps, okay?"

Aang nodded silently, burning up again when she tugged herself a little closer. I smiled. There were already very few inches of space between them.

Katara started leading him through the steps slowly, quietly telling him where to move. Every time she moved closer, or her fingers shifted on his shoulder and brushed his neck, or her breath grazed his cheek, his heart skipped a beat and he stumbled. Katara was oblivious, of course, and thought he was just getting the steps confused.

It wasn't long before they were spinning around the dance floor with the rest, laughing and talking quietly with each other like they were having the time of their lives. After a while, however, the music slowed. Sokka perked up, recognizing the tune. Katara and Aang both slowed to a stop. I could feel their hearts speeding up even from across the room.

I turned to Sokka. "What's with you? Recognize the song?" I asked.

Sokka nodded. "Before we met you, we ran into a troop of nomads," he recalled slowly. "They led us to the Cave of Two Lovers. Ever heard of it?"

"Yeah, of course I have. That's where the first earthbenders came from," I replied simply. "But what does this song have to do with it?"

Before I finished my question, a woman's voice drifted over to us.

_Two lovers... forbidden from one another..._

_A war divides their people..._

"Oh..." I muttered in comprehension. I returned my attention to Aang and Katara briefly. They were staring at each other, Aang shifting his weight nervously and Katara blushing. "So what's got those two so freaked out?"

Sokka shrugged. "I'm not sure. We got stuck in the cave for a while... I was separated from the two of them. They never told me what happened while I was with the nomads, but whenever I bring it up they start acting funny," he said, sounding as though he had long ago decided not to care about it too much.

_And a mountain divides them apart..._

_Built a path to be together..._

"This is... the song about the two lovers," Katara said quietly, other people on the dance floor moving slowly around them.

"Yeah..." Aang replied. "I uh... haven't heard it since that day..."

They both lapsed into silence again. Neither seemed to notice that they were still holding on to each other.

Katara smiled a little. "Love is brightest in the dark," she whispered. Aang's pulse skyrocketed.

"Have you... thought about it... since then?" Aang asked at long last. "What happened in the cave..."

My eyes were narrowed as I strained my ears to hear their quiet conversation from across the room.

Katara shifted uneasily, looking at her feet. "Well... um... yeah, I guess I may have... thought about it, from time to time..." she muttered.

Aang cleared his throat nervously. "You seemed pretty... er... collected, right after it happened," he pointed out.

"Yeah well... I was confused," Katara burst out defensively, her right hand tightening on his shoulder and her left clenching with his intertwined fingers.

He just laughed a little. "It was just a kiss, what were you confused about?" he asked gently. Katara calmed down immediately, hands loosening at the sound of his laugh.

She sighed, looking down again. "I don't know... I just..." she began awkwardly. "I wasn't sure what to think, you know? About... us."

Aang tilted his head a little, trying to look calm, but I could hear his heart hammering at his ribs. "Us?"

Katara shifted her weight again. "We were just kids, Aang... I didn't understand what we could be if we weren't just friends..." she sighed. "I was afraid I would fall in love with you."

Aang froze, muscles tense. For a second, I thought his heart stopped. He inhaled sharply in surprise. "Fall... fall in love with me?" Aang asked, breathless. He blushed deeply, looking down. "Is that such a bad thing?"

Katara looked up at him, eyes wide. "Aang... you're the Avatar," she whispered. "You had such a responsibility then... the whole world was counting on you, and you were only twelve. My job was to protect the Avatar. And I didn't think I could do that if I fell in love with Aang."

Aang frowned, working up his courage. "Well... we're not kids anymore," he pointed out quietly. "And the world is starting to go back to normal. You don't need to protect the Avatar anymore, Katara."

They stared at each other for a moment. Aang took a step toward her, bringing them within inches of each other.

"Aang..." Katara began warily. He stopped, looking at her. "Do you really want to... I mean..." She sighed heavily. "You're the Avatar," she said again. "You deserve... I don't know, a princess or something. I'm just... Katara."

"Exactly, you're just Katara," Aang replied. "All I want is just Katara. Because you're the only girl in the world who really knows me, just Aang."

Katara's heart fluttered and she smiled. Aang smiled too. Katara tilted her head a little, drumming her fingers on his shoulder. "Now are you going to stand there smiling at me or are you going to kiss me?" she asked slyly, smirking.

_Secret tunnel... secret tunnel..._

_Through the mountains..._

I grinned. "Sokka, your pants are on fire," I said quickly when he turned to glance at his sister. He yelped and fell off his chair. I figured that would give them a few minutes. They weren't showing any signs of stopping, anyway, absorbed as they were in each other. The rest of the people on the dance floor took notice, muttering indignantly. The Fire Lord himself tapped Aang on the shoulder pointedly after a minute or so. Aang and Katara blushed in embarrassment, muttering apologies and moving quickly from the dance floor.

That was the first night Katara asked Aang to dance. Now, they do it every time we go out to a big ordeal. And when they get bored of dancing, there's always a secluded corner to make out in.

_Secret secret secret secret tunnel..._

Aang and Katara really like to dance.


End file.
